Undergarment



Patented Dec. 7, 1943 UNDERGARMENT Asa J. Harwood, Richmond, Ind., assignor to` The'` Atlas Underwear Company, Piqua, Ohio, a cor poration of Ohiov Application March 3, 194,2, serial No. 433,196

(cree-224) 3 Claims.

Without gaping, regardless of variations that have been made in the length of the waistband. In addition, the enlargement of the waist opening by manipulation of the means referred to facilitates putting on and taking oli the garment, despite its ultimate snug t.

The desired results are obtained in the new garment by incorporating a pair of overlapping panels in the front section of the garment and forming the waistband with overlappping ends which are attached to the top edges of the respec,

tive panels. .The ends of the waistband are provided with connecting means permitting the ends to be secured together in different relative positions and the` overlap of the adjacent portions of I the 4panels is such that, with the ends of the waistband secured together to give the greatest waist measurement, the panels remain overlapped and there is no gaping. The panels are connected together below the areas which are to vary in the extent of their overlap, and such connections may be formed, if desired, to provide a y opening through which access to the interior of the garment may be had. In addition, means are provided to reinforce and prevent sagging of the iront of the garment.

. The garment may be made of various kinds of material, such as woven fabrics or knitted goods, but since special advantages with respect to appearance and t are afforded by the use of knitted goods cut in a particular manner, the garment constructed of such goods in accordance with the invention will be illustrated and described in detail for purposes of explanation.

For a better understanding of the invention, reference may be had to the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 is a view of the garment in front elevation;

Fig. 2 is a top plan view; and

Fig. 3 is a sectional view on the line 3-3 of Fig. 1. I

`The garment shown in Fig. 1 is of the shorts type and hasnorlegs but itis to loe-,understood that the provision 'of legs of any length in the garment is optional. `The garment includesfront andback sections, designated IU and II, respectively, and these sections are preferably formed of knitted material cut with the wales running vertically, so that the garment is extensible circumferentially of the body of the wearer. The sections are united along the side edges and may be cut` of separate pieces of material secured to' getherby side seams extending. vertically or may be cut from a piece of tubular material of proper dimensions. The loweredges of the sections are connected along their central portions by a seam lI2 to close the crotch of the garment and, in the construction shown, the rear section is somewhat longer than' the front so as to provide additional fullness in the seat and to bring the seam in the middle of the crotch when the garment is Worn. Oneither side' of their connected portions, the lower edges of the sections are cut to form leg openings I3 and these openings are finished by hems I4 which are extensible circumferentially and may include elastic tapes I5 which cause the hems to t the legs of the wearer snugly.

Thecentralpart of the front section is formed of a pair of panels I6 and I'I, these panels extending downwardly frorn the top. edge of the section and lying in overlapping relation. In the construction shown, the outer panel I6 extends down to the crotch and is that part ofthe front section united to the back 'section by theseam I2,`while the inner panel I1 terminates above the crotch. The panels are secured togetherby a transverse seam I8 which lies downward from the waistband a substantial distance andthe lateral edges I9, 20 of the respective panels above the seam are free of one another.' i I A waistband ZI, preferably made of vasuitable inelastic material, is attached to the top edges of the front and back sections and its end portions 22 and 23 `are connected to the top'edgesof the respective panels and normally lie in overlapping relation. The overlapping ends'of lthe waistband are provided with means `by which they can be connected together` in different` positions `of adjustment and, in theconstruction shown', these means take the form of cooperatingjsnap fastener elements 24a, 24h on the're'spectiveends. There are two such elements on the outer end22 of the band and three ormore elements onjthezinner end 23, and the ends of, the bands may thus be secured together with, different 'degrees' of overlap, It is Vto `be understoodY thatotherfastening means thansnap fasteners may be used f or the purpose; aSnfor example,v the end 2-2 or the band may be provided with buttonholes through which may be passed buttons arranged in a row on the lend 23 of the band. With the construction described, the endsof the bands, together with the overlapping portions of the panels down to the seam I8, may be separated by being folded back away from each other and this increases the waist opening to such an extent that the garment may be readily put on -and taken off, even though it nts snugly whenpworn. The adjustable connecting means on the overlapping ends of the waistband permit variations inthe length of the band, sozthat the garmentrmay be worn comfortably hymen of varying girth-i Garments of the shorts type are ordinarily intended to be worn with the hems of the leg openings tting snugly in the groins of the wearer and, to prevent sagging of the hems, the garment is provided with reinforcing members 25 which extend between the waistband and the hems and are formed of a material which is relatively inextensible lengthwise, Each member preferably lies along a line of union of one of the panels to the remainder of the front section and the members thus serve to conceal the seams. The members may be made of any suitable fabric and are ordir'iarily'tapes of the same material as that Vof which the garment is made.

The yportions of the panels below the transverseV seam may; if desired; be employed for the purpose of providinga fly opening and that construction is, used in the garment illustrated. Thus, the edge 26 of the outer panel below the transverse seamV i8 is free of the inner panel andthe lower end of the inner panel is cut on a diagonal, as indicated at 21. The short edge 28 of the inner panel below the transverse seam is then connected to the outer panel along the line of union of the outer panel with the remainder of the front section and the lower end of the innerpanel is free of the outer panel. With this arrangement, the portions of the panels below the transverse seam may be separated so that access to' the interior of the garment is afforded through Vthe space 'lying between the free lateral edgerof the outer panel and the free diagonal edge of the inner panel. In order that separation of these portions of the panels may be easily eif'ected, the edges of the panels referred to are preferably provided with hems which are Stretchable lengthwise of the edges to which` they are applied.

The portions of the panels lying above and below the transverse seam may be made of the same material or, if desired, those portions below the seam may be formed to provide a supporter effect. For this purpose, 'the invention set forth in the co-pending application of Alfred L. Flesh, Serial No. 366,545, filed November 2211, 1940i, may be employed. In a garment constructed in accordance with the Flesh invention, the portion of the outer panel lying below the transverse seam is of a material substantially'more elastic Vvertically of the garment than the portionV of the inner panel lying below that seam. Preferably the lower portion of the outer panel is formed of a fabric in' which vertical strands of rubber are incorporated.

I claim:

,1. A nether garment comprising front and back sectionsmade of knitted material extensible circumferentially of the garment, the sections being united along the sides of the garment and having their bottom edges connected along central portions only thereof toV form a closed crotch and cut to form leg openings on either side of the crotch, a pair of front panels of a width at least equal to that of the crotch forming the central part of the front section and extending from the top edge of the Yfront section downwardly and overlapping throughout substantially their entire width, a transverse seam extending across the panels between their upper and lower ends and permanently connecting them together across their entire width, the panels being wholly free of one another above said seam and having both connected lateral edge portions and opposed free edge portions below said seam, said free edge'portions lying at opposite sides of a space through which access to the interior of the garment may be had between said panels, an inelastic waistband connected to the top edges of the sections and having overlapping end portions connected to the top edges of the respective panels, and means on the end portions of the waistband for detachably connecting the end portions together.

2. A nether garment comprising front and back sections made of knitted material extensible circlunferentially of the garment, the sections being united along the sides of the garment and having their bottom edges connected along central portions only thereof to form a closed crotch and out to form leg openings on either side of the crotch, a pair of front panels of a width at least equal tc that of the crotch forming the central part of `the front section and extending from the top edge of the front section downwardly and overlapping throughout substantially their entire width, a transverse seam extending `across the panels between their upper and lower ends and permanently connecting them together across their entire width, the panels being wholly free of one another above said seam, seams connecting together portions of the lateral edges only of the panels below the transverse seam, the panels having opposed Vfree edge portions below the transverse searn which lie vat opposite sides of a space through which access may be had to the interior of the garment between said panels, an inelastic waistband connected to the top edges of the sectionsand having overlapping end portions connected to the top edges oi the respective panels, and means on the end portions ofthe waistband for detachably connecting the end portionsI togather.

3. A nether garment comprising front and back sections made of knitted material extensible circumferentially of the garment, the sections being united along the sides of the garment and having their bottom edges connected along central portions only thereof to form a closed crotch and cut to form leg openings on Veither side of the crotch, a pair of front panels of a width at least equal to that of the crotch forming the central part of the front section and extending from the top edge of the front sectionrdownwardly and overlapping throughout substantially their entire Vwidth, the outer panel being connected at its lower end to the central portion of the back section and the inner panel terminating above the closed crotch and having its lower end freeand extending diagonally upward from the inner edge of one leg opening to a point above the plane of the top of the other leg opening, a transverse seam extending across the panels between their upper and lower ends and permanently connecting them together across their entire width, the panels being wholly free of one another above the transverse seam, Vthe outer panel having a free lateral edge portion below the transverse seam which edge portion is opposed to the free diagonal edge of the inner panel, whereby access to the interior of the garment may be had through the space between the panels dened by said free edge portion and said free edge, the remainder of the lateral edges of the panels below the transverse seam being connected together, an inelastic waistband connected to the top edges of the sections and having overlapping end portions connected to the top edges of the respective panels, and means on the end portions of the 'waistband for detachably connecting the end portions together.

ASA J. HARWOOD. 

